T-Bird Anni Rides Again

Well, I can’t say as I’m overly enamoured with having a patron saint who isn’t english, who possibly never even set foot in the country and whose claim to fame is that he rescued a fair maiden from beign lunch for a dragon but anyway, Happy St Georges day folks!

Today was fairly bitty really.  There was Sonlight and Miquon, there was one page of Stile which again brought up the issue that actually she is still struggling with words when there isn’t a nice picture clue and a bit of context from the rest of the page to help her along.  I also found out she has forgotten alphabetical order completely, how did that happen? 

I faffed about trying to tidy up a bit, getting ready for Rainbows and generally pootling.

Had a slightly surreal conversation with the mum of a new starter, she somehow had decided that her offspring didn’t need uniform to be a Rainbow and was going to let her darling child pick which ever fashion victim items she fancied to turn up in each week.  Now, I have to say, as far as I know Guiding has always been a uniformed organisation, all the rest of teh girls are in uniform with one exception (who was enrolled by my predecessor so I can’t do much about it) so you would think there was a clue there really wouldn’t you? She was really rather taken aback when I pointed out that she needed uniform within the first term, not much, just the top is fine.  She hummed and hawed so I pointed out that I’d consider taht she didn’t want to join and would give her place to the next girl if uniform was not purchased within the time.  And unless she knows of a charity shop with much better quality that the ones I frequent, she aint worried on a cost basis.  And she was 10 minutes late picking child up.  I can see her being "that" mother taht they all warned me about…. mutter mumble…

This evening we pootled as a family in the garden which is coming on nicely now.  No mice any more, either the relocated to more peaceful surroundings or they were a midnight snack for someone else’s moggy.  Must get on top of the horsetail again.  Where the grass has grown really tall there’s non to be seen but on the scrubby bits it’s rearing its ugly head again.  I’m tempted to declare chemical warfare but I just hate to break out the chemicals over something that’s beatable without.  Also need to clean up the pots and get set to start off the runners.  Then it’s time to build the beandome again, wonder how many swearing sessions it will take this year?  Each time I think I work out what I did wrong lsat year adn each time I just make a whole new set of interesting variations on a theme of how to not erect a pentadome! 

The book is available here and you can get bdges but I doubt they fit with the Montessori ethos!

There are 6 rights explored 

To be me, the right to an identity, to hold and express your own opinions and celebrate your own beleifs. 

to be happy, the right to be protected from harm, to play, to access healthcare etc 

to work together, equality, fairness, teamworking and how small changes in our lifestyle can have global effects

To Learn, the right to access a suitable education and a look at why nearly 60% of the world’s children have no access to any education

To live in peace, peace of mind as well as living peacefully and the right to not live in a warzone

To be Heard, freedom of speech and the right for children’s voices to be heard. 

Each section starts with an explanation of the rights and the responsibilites those rights come with.  For example To Be Me starts lists the right to a "registered name and nationality, to freedom of expression, to have their identity protected, to be part of a family, to have their privacy protected, to enjoy their own culture and to practice their own feligion and language" which carries the responsibilites for us to be ourselves, to respect our heritage, to not give to pressure to conform to ideas and ideals that are not "ours" unless we actually want to (not being a fashion victim), to speak up and to encourage and support others to speak up.

I’m doing 1 section a term and spreading the activities over 3 or 4 sessions so we don’t rush through it. 

Some of the activities in Aim Hi (  http://www.guidingessentials.org.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/GirlGuiding/6541)are good too, that’s a pack produced with teh WHO about what it means to be healthy. 

If we ever manage to catch up with each other I could fetch them for you to look at but I suspect your weekends are rather too precious just now!